REGGIE D. WHITE

In America, the issue of police brutality has reached 'Pandemic' status. American police officers kill citizens 70 times more than police forces in other developed (or 'First World' countries) . And this issue is exponentially worse in the Black community. We are less than 13% of the U.S. population, but are 7x more likely than White Americans to be killed by police while unarmed. Since their inception, #BlackLivesMatter and Campaign Zero have worked tirelessly to bring the issue of the abuse of police power to the forefront of our national conversation, particularly as it relates to racially motivated policing, but there has been much diverting from that message and platform.

The message of my piece is simple: Black Americans are dying at the hands of police at a frightening rate, but this issue affects us all. If All Lives really do matter, we must all work together to end police brutality, otherwise, there may be no more of us left.

This piece was beautifully performed by the talented Pamela Bluford-Smith & Friends Choir.